


let me satisfy your soul

by wanderinghooves



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aang and Katara love each other in the small moments, Aang's love language is acts of service, Adult Content, Body Worship, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, I know precious little about the comics or TLOK, Implied Sexual Content, Older Characters, One Shot, Post-Canon, Short & Sweet, Suggestive Themes, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, True Love, Zuko and Mai are getting hitched, but very pure, in a way i suppose, just plain cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:28:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24420577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wanderinghooves/pseuds/wanderinghooves
Summary: Aang and Katara share an intimate moment before Fire Lord Zuko’s wedding rehearsal. And really, what does fifteen minutes late matter between friends?In other words: Aang really loves his wife.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Mai/Zuko (mentioned)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 146





	let me satisfy your soul

**Author's Note:**

> Inspiration: Holy Ghost by Børns

“Outta the way, Avatar!”

Aang wisely leaps out of Katara’s immediate path from the bathroom to the bedroom vanity, though he allows himself a smirk.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Katara perches herself archly on the vanity’s velvet cushion. She’s got one towel wrapped around herself and a second twirled up on her head, pulling her hair out of her face. Aang always finds the second feature hilarious, but knows better than to tease her lest he risk getting himself into a towel-whip fight. Katara fights _dirty._

“Could you check my bag for the pumice stone? I _swear_ I already I set it out…”

As she searches the various items already distributed on the table, Aang rummages through her remaining toiletries, squinting at the various stylized labels.

“Hmm, I can’t seem to-”

“Nope, never mind, here it is. Thanks, sweetie.”

Aang smiles and ambles over to the vanity, where Katara has already popped open a small box and produced an oblong grey stone. He observes as she rubs it deftly across the skin of her cheeks and forehead.

“We’re busting out the face-rock _already?_ I thought for sure you were gonna save that level of fanciness for the actual ceremony.”

Katara fixes him with a look in the mirror, sticking out her tongue.

“This whole shebang is fancy. People from every corner of everywhere are coming to see the great Fire Lord’s wedding.”

Her chest puffs up with faux importance as she speaks, and Aang shakes his head.

“Who do you think is less pleased about that, Zuko or Mai?”

She taps her foot in consideration.

“Good question, they’ve got a real neck-and-neck tie for social awkwardness.”

Aang plops himself down onto the near end of the bed and busies himself with donning his nicest pair of pants, the accompanying robe still hanging in the doorway of the suite’s closet. His eyes manifest a mischievous gleam.

“Although maybe they won’t have to worry so much about attention after all, because you’ll undoubtedly be the most stunning person in attendance.”

Katara’s facing away from him but he can almost _hear_ her eyes rolling; her ears do go a little pink, though, so he counts it as a victory.

“Well, I’m not even going to be presentable for this rehearsal dinner if a particular airbender doesn’t stop distracting me from getting ready.”

As if on cue, the time-candle on their bedside table produces a small sparking pop to indicate the turn of the hour.

Katara tosses her hands up as Aang pulls on his undershirt.

“Ugh! We only have forty-five minutes before we have to leave. I knew we should’ve drawn a bath earlier.”

Aang clicks his tongue as he finishes fastening his shirt-clasps.

“All I have left is to throw on my robe and I’m good to go. Anything else I can do?”

Katara snaps open her bottle of saltwater cleanser rather severely.

“Actually, if you could do my hair while I finish my face, that would be _great.”_

Aang rubs his hands together like a seasoned professional, which, at this point, he arguably is. This certainly isn’t the first fancy gathering the two of them have run late for in such a fashion.

“And what sort of style are we looking for today, madame?”

She huffs a laugh but indulges his antics nonetheless.

“If you could just do a nice braid down the back, that would be lovely, sir.”

He deftly unwraps her hair from its towel, allowing it to fall down her back in a messy wave. Retrieving the comb from among the rest of Katara’s disarrayed belongings, he begins to carefully tease out any snarls. With practiced strokes, he separates two locks onto either side of her face.

As the last of the tangles disappear, Aang sets down the comb and instead begins to run his hands through Katara’s hair. It’s one of his very favorite things to do; her hair is so incredibly shiny and soft and _beautiful,_ a perfect extension of the rest of her. 

He feels her release a contented breath accompanied by a quiet murmur.

“Hmm?”

She tilts her head into his touch.

“I said it feels nice.”

He smiles, kneading at the base of her neck.

“Good.”

Passing his hands down over the crown of her head, Aang separates her hair into three thick sections. After a pause to reposition his fingers, he begins to braid with a careful eye; left-middle-right-middle-left, just as she’d first shown him years ago. He’s no longer prone to riddling her hair with clumsy knots as he once was, but he still pays rapt attention just in case. 

Upon finishing out the braid in the longest strands, Aang secures his handiwork with Katara’s favorite mother-of-pearl clip. Moving his way slowly back up, he tugs lightly at each of the sections, fluffing them out into a larger, looser plait.

From the mirror in his periphery, he can see Katara massaging her face with lotion, slow and loose.

“Relaxed?”

She hums lazily.

“Mmm-hmm.”

Satisfied with the main work, he shifts his attention to the two strands framing her face. After gently sliding on the classic pair of beads resting at her temples, he lingers for a moment. This element is his most treasured part of doing Katara’s hair; the loop style is a tradition so ancient to the Water Tribe that the origins have long faded, and he regards her allowance of him to perform this as one of their small, private ways of sharing in each other’s culture. 

He decides to brain these too on a rather sentimental whim. If he’s being honest, he just enjoys the excuse to indulge her a little longer.

The finished loops are pinned delicately into the beginning of the larger braid, and Aang utters a satisfied sigh as he rubs at his spent fingers.

“There you go, honey, as requested.”

Screwing the lid back onto her seaweed lotion, Katara rises with a gratified stretch.

“I love you.”

She lays her arms around his neck with a contented smile. Aang can’t help but grin back, leaning forward to bump his forehead against hers.

“You’re so beautiful.”

Katara gives him an amused huff in response.

“Just because you’re such a good hairstylist.”

She stretches up to press her lips against his, and they share a long, tender kiss. He pulls her waist to him as he feels her hands reach up to grasp the nape of his neck. 

Somewhere in the midst of this, he becomes cognizant of the fact that she is still only wearing a bath towel.

Pulling away, he narrows his eyes in consideration. 

“How long did you say we have until we need to leave?”

She glances leisurely at the bedside table.

“At this point, thirty minutes, maybe?”

His gaze turns roguish.

“In that case, I have an idea that might interest you.”

She arches an eyebrow as if inquisitive, but he know’s she’s already caught his drift.

“I guess the palace really isn’t _that_ far of a walk.”

He opens his mouth to wise-crack back at her, but then she’s already pushing him down onto the bed with a grin.


End file.
